BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2020
Hydro-Quebec, which has spent millions fighting a November referendum aimed at defeating its proposed $1 billion hydropower project with Central Maine Power, told Maine lawmakers Thursday that it is not trying to influence the results of elections. A Maine political committee controlled by the Canadian utility and almost solely funded by a U.S. subsidiary has spent $6.2 million on the race through June. In July, it inked a $329,000 contract with a Washington, D.C., public affairs firm. “Hydro-Quebec’s campaign efforts are not aimed at influencing upcoming elections,” Serge Abergel, director of external relations for the utility, wrote. “Rather, we aim to provide facts.”